avalon1025

Trying to reach Windstar for over an hour trying to get information on these cancellations.    Once this is sorted, good bye Windstar.   

I would say 10-15 yers ago, I sailed Silversea all the time, and had wonderful voyages.  Last October we sailed a cold weather cruise on the Spirit and left never wanting to sail SS again.  The dining set up where the menus don't change was a deal breaker.   Made dinner something to not look forward to (oh, I'll have that same steak again, but change the sauce this time).   A ridiculous and cheap method of dinning.   Crew was nice but not the genuine service we get on Crystal (we reverted back to Crystal).   I hope RCI support this line, currently its a mess.

PS:   Sailed all the triplets, and loved them.  I haven't had the chance to sail the larger ships yet.

They had those spray painted plastic hairdryers in the stairwell of the Spirit.    

I would say Shadow, as the dining on Spirit with the never changing menus in each restaurant was a deal breaker.   La Terrazza on Spirit also looks like a buffet restaurant vs the Shadow where its much nicer.  

We were able to get complementary caviar on the Spirit last month, you had to ask, get through the eye roll and then it was presented.   We found out from other passengers on board, they were not super forthcoming about it now being available.

We hit the dock in Quebec City a few weeks ago due to winds

1 hour ago, MBP&O2/O said:

Am I right in thinking .... or is it a case of having another brain burp ... that on the MDR menu there was an ‘Always Available’ section as well as the menu of the day? But I am thinking this was on the smaller ships, pre Muse and multiple dining options?

 

There is,  it’s just the room service menu that you can access anywhere on the ship

I’d say we were asked at breakfast,  lunch and dinner everyday.  In the Panorama where by day five I thought it would subside, it didn’t .    Our group thought for sure they were collecting data for other uses.  

On 11/10/2018 at 4:01 AM, hypercafe said:

We were on the same trip and must say it was the worst trip I have ever been on due to the weather. The first half of the trip was a wipe out due to snow, sleet, fog, rain closed and wrecked ports. Of course this was the part I really wanted to see and the part where I have never been. I should of known better than go up there this late in the season. I was very impressed with the Spirit as she looked like a new ship and almost identical to the Muse in many respects. The only leftover seemed to be the show lounge. We had cabin 1117 which was added to the ship during the stretch, it was beautiful and very quiet with everything working 100%. I have to agree with the OP to some degree about the food. I never had a bad meal however there is no wow factor in any of it for me which I expect at this price point. I find the never changing menu gets boring and the room service menu like a diner. We were in New England the heart of shell fish and lobster. I expected a clambake theme special  lunch/dinner instead they had a English Pub Lunch? Yes, I know I could of special ordered things however having dinner should not require as much work as it does on the Muse and Spirit.  

Our best meals were all off the ship, we had a great lobster in Bar Harbor (at one of the few open restaurants!).  We also enjoyed eating in the Chateau in Quebec City (thankfully there overnight due to the storm).   I'm still sad we missed the fjord : (

On 11/9/2018 at 1:57 PM, boblerm said:

Westwoodfolk, I am taking my first SS cruise on the Spirit in Feb, and am very interested in knowing what sort of items are available "off menu" that one may wish to special order.  Are there some special dishes that SS veterans "in the know" suggest?

Thanks, 

Bob

We were given two alternative menus, one was the room service menu (pasta with red sauce, burger, etc), the other looked to be a kids menu?  chicken fingers and hot dogs....

1 hour ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

On our last two Regent cruises they used iPads, so do not think Silversea is alone in this "super mass market" idea.

I don't think its the technology, its the ill prepared crew using it (not their fault - poor training?) and the constant asking for room numbers.  Crystal uses an iphone type interface and honestly I never really noticed it being as obtrusive as the system on Spirit

1 hour ago, sugarbird said:

My wife and I did the September crossing London(Tilbury) to New York on the Spirit. We have been on 6 or 7 Silversea cruises before. We found the lack of menu changes to be a major diappointment.  The entire restaurant experience  --ability to join tables, menu changes, etc. caused us to think this will be our last Silversea cruise unless they rethink this. We will stick with Seabourn, Crystal, Oceania and Seadream.

That how we felt, I have always looked forward to cocktails and dinner as a highlight of the evening on past Silversea sailings, on this one it felt like a chore, what would go wrong, what would I eat that would be different?   What made Silversea special was lacking on the Spirit.  I don't think anyone remembered my name, i ordered the same drink from the same waiter nightly yet he never could remember it.   What made past Silversea sailings great was rolling into the bar to have your drink waiting,  the wonderful dining experience and the beautiful ships.   If this was a Celebrity sailing, I'd say I'd come away satisfied, but they are charging over $1000/night, this ship felt really off.

We used all available options on our 10 day cruise,  some which were not conducive to dining in 30 degree weather like an outdoor pizzeria (we waited in the heated passenger corridor and they delivered our pizza) as well as hot rocks which was way to cold to enjoy dining in our parkas.  I had the same meals as the few other options didn’t appeal to me as the options during lunch.  We learned you could order off menu for our last night,  they were certainly not forthcoming with this information. Overall Silversea has fallen,  hard, and we found Crystal far superior in food and service as well as consistency across the ship.  The Asian restaurant was the best meal we had but the dining room was so awfully lit,  some in our group didn’t want to eat there. 

Just back from Silver Spirit, Montreal to NYC.   Have sailed too many cruises to list but over the past 12 months have been on Crystal and Queens Grill in Cunard.   This Silver Spirit cruise was a return to Silversea having sailed on Cloud, Wind, Shadow and Whisper in the past (and had all very nice cruise on those other Silversea ships)

Ship:   Looks brand new, loved the cabin and and cabin bathroom.  I found the ceilings too low on some decks and the ship really chopped up (a bit claustrophobic here and there).  Some public rooms were too small to handle the ships passengers (Panorama) and some too large (Dolci Vida - which looks like an airport business class lounge).     I'm still unsure about the new decor direction, it was really repetitive and kinda boring/cheap looking in some areas.  Lighting was awful, in the dining rooms and la Terrazza were all lit like shopping malls.   Also on the smaller ships La Terrazza was a beautiful space, on the Spirit, it looked like a mass market ships buffet restaurant.

Cabins:   Great, they were nicely updated, loved the bathrooms and our butler and cabin steward were tops.  No complaints!

Food:   This is where Spirit falls and falls hard vs her competition.   The non changing menus coupled with the new ipad ordering is a mess and will prevent me from sailing Silversea again.   You are asked prior to every meal for your room number and name; super mass market.   The ipads are slow and not flexible resulting in missed courses, incorrect orders, etc.   The first night I never got my entree, was told kitchen was now closed and to order from Room Service, really?   Second morning never got my breakfast, only or it to show up on day 7.  Want your steak medium, order it rare was the given direction.   I also hated the new slate type dishes in Atlantide, it felt like those dishes were all preprepared just waiting for your meat and sauce selection.   All veal chops on the ship were inedible (even our waited guided away from ordering them).  So in 10 nights, I had the same soup 5 times, same salad and three different steaks that all tasted about the same.   Sad for a luxury line.  Lunch in Atlantide was great, great daily menus and diverse food selection.   We tried LaTerrazza, it was ok, I had the veal - bad choice.   Silver Note was fun, but a one and done place.  We cancelled LeDame as we didn't want to risk paying $240 for four of us to have the same dreary dinner food we had been having all week.  

Ports:  We missed two and weather was awful, but thats not the shops fault.   Its still a beautiful part of the world

Service:   Overall fine, but really a sense that there are rules to be followed, want a dish from next door?  No.   Would a bar server ever remember my room number or drink,  Nope.  Other passengers would let others know alternative menus were available, but never from the staff.  45 minutes between courses, yup...The whole experience felt too mass market compared to Seabourn or Crystal.

We had fun thanks to the DJ and other passengers we met, always great meeting others.

Since this seems to be the new direction for Silversea, I hope that they get guidance from Royal Caribbean or at least the cash they need to bring their experience levels back up to prior cruises.

I tried contacting Ponant to get rates and make a reservation but no one picked up (they were closed at 4PM west coast time?) and I was asked to leave a message that was unreturned. Does Ponant have a US based reservations team?

When I compare drink prices on Cunard it’s with other cruise lines. Not hotels. More of an apples to apples comparison. Hotels are a different animal. I find Cunard’s pricing to be higher than the competition and the quality generally lower. That is my point. Yes I can afford a drink, but no one wants to get ripped off or pay more than they should for something. The value proposition is lost in that case.

Drinks were great in June....

Totally laughable to compare prices in the Ritz in London to a bar on any Cunard ship even if dining in QG it is nowhere near the standard or cost of staying in the Ritz and even then whatever standard of stateroom/suite on Cunard the price is still the same and nothing will change my mind that Cunard's drinks price3s are a rip off and obviously by the emptiness of many bars on my last 2 cruises on QE and QM2 so do many others agree if it was such a bargain they would be full.

Not laughable, my QG suite was far more per night than the Ritz (adjusted for food). Whats laughable is that people moan over the cost of a drink when they aren't forced to buy one. Its the same way with people moaning over paying $25 to the airline to check a bag when they've paid thousands for a cruise. If the cost of drinks is a deal breaker, stay home

Depends on who you get at Cunard, try it. They can always rebook you and transfer the deposit

Stayed at the Ritz in London prior to a June QM2 cruise, my cocktail was about $27US. Cunard is a bargain

Just been out for a meal at my local pub (national chain and not Wetherspoons) and the prices of drinks were as follows-

 

Pint of Carlsberg lager £2-49

Pint of John Smiths bitter £2-49

Pint of Strongbow cider £2-79

Pint of Guinness £3-29

Glass of wine (Red/White 175ml) £2-49

 

That is why when I am used to paying the above prices in pubs in my area I think Cunard's drink prices are extortionate.

I had a drink package in June on QM2

This is our third Cunard Cruise and we have tried all ships as it just seems to get more expensive each time. We have done six or seven Celebrity Cruses and to be honest the whole experience is much more pleasurable. The staff are friendlier and much more attentive, you have the ability to buy a drinks package, that’s if you didn’t get one in your holiday package and the food is higher quality and there is much more variety. I think Cunard has had the last of my money...

I love people that will pay thousands on a vacation and balk at a $50 luggage fee.

With so many cruise lines moving away from dress codes why would anyone that does not want to adhere to what Cunard is about want to sail Cunard. I'd never step on a Princess ship as I know that what they deliver is no where near what I am looking for on a vacation. With so many lines, go on the ones that fit your personal needs, why does every line need to be the same? ...and not all young people want to dress like crap on a ship...

You'll need to wear at least a blazer to eat in the dining room (every night)

I give it 6 months

I was sailing with Uniworld in Italy in June and met a young man sailing with his mother. He has worked as a guide for their sister company Contiki that caters to the same demographic. He has gone to work in corporate with U. With what he was describing I predict not only will it survive but I think it will be copied by other lines fairly quickly. As the Father of 4 children from ages 22-31 who love to travel and stay in hostels, Airbnb(with the owners in the house) and various other ways I don't think the bunk bed would have bothered them in their single years. I think they have their fingers on the pulse of a certain segment of the travel market. Time will tell.

Exactly, millennials stay in AirB&B's and hostels, why? they meet people, want to eat with them, want to cook their own food and not be constrained by a departure time of a ship. They want to do their own thing and the constraints of a cruise are not compelling to them.